Agartala, 30th April 2026: The Tripura Legislative Assembly on Thursday witnessed sharp exchanges over the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Constitution 131st Amendment Bill), as ruling and opposition members clashed on the issue of women’s political reservation.
Chief Whip Kalyani Saha Roy moved a motion urging consensus among all parliamentary parties and pressing the Centre to initiate delimitation based on the 2011 Census. The motion also called for renewed efforts to amend the Constitution to ensure one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
Speaking against the motion, CPIM MLA Shyamal Chakraborty argued that the government was using the issue to blame opposition parties. He maintained that the Women’s Reservation Bill could be passed “in a single minute” and accused the ruling BJP of lacking sincerity. Chakraborty highlighted that during the Left’s tenure, seats in Panchayats and Nagar Panchayats were reserved for women, and criticized the linkage of delimitation with women’s reservation. He further cited government records showing that only 11 percent of central government employees are women, underscoring the need for broader reforms in education, health, and employment.
Congress MLA Gopal Chandra Roy reminded the House of the Congress party’s legacy in advancing women’s representation, noting that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi first introduced one-third reservation in Panchayats, later expanded to 50 percent under Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, resulting in 15 lakh women elected at the grassroots level. Roy cautioned against using census data for political gain and stressed that the bill could be passed swiftly if proper representation for SC, ST, OBC, and minority categories was ensured.
